Wednesday, January 30, 2013

With
barely 4 session-days left, workers belonging to labor coalition Nagakaisa! trooped
to the Senate this afternoon to urge feuding senators to defer passage of
Senate Bill 3389 or the National Electrification Reform Bill authored by Sen.
Serge Osmena on grounds that the proposed “step-in rights” to be granted to NEA
is anti-democratic and anti-labor.

Nagkaisa!
members like the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Partido ng Manggagawa
(PM) and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines have organized unions in
the country’s 119 electric cooperatives.

Josua
Mata, one of Nagkaisa! convenors and the secretary general of APL denounced the
Senate Bill as a Draconian measure as it grants NEA martial law powers to take
over ailing ECs, replace the general manager, the entire board and even
employees, appoint third persons in the board or a management team, and convert
cooperatives into stock corporations.

This
measure, he said, usurped the powers of the General Assembly – the highest
policy-making body of the coop to decide on what options to take to make their
utilities financially-viable and democratically-managed.

Louie
Corral of TUCP said a close reading of the measure shows that it seeks to
clothe the NEA with the same draconian powers, which for the past thirty years it
has exercised over the country’s electric cooperatives.

Section
4-B of SB 3389 states that the NEA shall have immediately step-in and take over
from its Board the operations of any ailing electric cooperative, within a
reasonable period after take-over, the NEA may convert the ailing cooperative
to either a stock cooperative registered with the CDA or a stock corporation
registered with the SEC.

“This is privatization in the
guise of reform,”
said Mata, adding that with 90 percent of generation already privatized under
EPIRA, big private powers now set their eyes on 9 million households connected
with electric cooperatives. Meralco has
5.5 million customer-base.

PM chair Renato Magtubo echoed the
same as the both the House and Senate versions aim at making electric
cooperatives EPIRA-compliant. “Reform
NEA is nothing but a privatization agenda of Osmena in the coops as
explicitly provided under his bill,” said Magtubo.

Osmena was also the author of
EPIRA which for the past 10 years resulted to escalating rates and
diminishing supply. ###

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The newly formed workers party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa
Coalition (PM Coalition) held a rally today to urge the Supreme Court (SC) to
resolve the party-list disqualification row before the official ballots are
printed. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reiterated yesterday that
ballots will be printed starting next Monday, February 4.

“It is in the interest of all parties, not just the party-list
groups and the Comelec but most especially the voters, that the dispute over
Comelec’s disqualification of party-list groups be settled with dispatch,”
asserted Bong Palad, the group’s president and also secretary of the Philippine
Airlines Employees Association (PALEA).

In its en banc session last week, the SC gave due course
to a motion from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for partial
reconsideration asking to be given until last Friday to file a consolidated
comment on behalf of the Comelec. Earlier on January 8, the SC did not act on
PM Coalition’s petition for a temporary restraining order on the raffle of
party-list names and printing of ballots and instead asked the Comelec to
comment on a non-extendible deadline of five days.

PM Coalition has been staging weekly rallies at the SC as
part of its “Party List Watch” to push for its petition asking the high court
to overturn the Comelec’s disqualification. Today the rallyists brought a
makeshift eye made of cardboard to symbolize the “Party List Watch.”

“We call on the high
court to finish the job of cleansing of the party-list system by affirming the
disqualification of BOPALs or bogus party-lists but also correcting the
mistakes of the Comelec such as not accrediting a legitimate workers group like
PM Coalition based on a technicality. Comelec’s disqualification of PM Coalition
is in contrast with its highly questionable accreditation of some BOPALs that seem
to have a much lobby power,” averred Palad.

The Comelec's Second Division dismissed PM Coalition on
the ground that it failed to comply with the requirements for registration as a
“sectoral coalition.” But Palad insisted that even underComelec Resolution No. 9366 – Rules
on filing of petitions for registration–
requirements underSection 6.Petition for Registration, Contentsstates that petitioner is only
required to submit names, addresses, and representatives of sectoral parties
or organizations affiliated with the petitioner, which affiliatesneed not be registeredwith the Commission, but have given
their consent thereto. ###

DETAILS: The newly formed workers party-list group PM COALITION will hold another a rally at the Supreme Court (SC) as part of its “Party List Watch” and to press for a decision on its pending party-list motion for accreditation.

The group is urging the SC to resolve the party-list disqualification row “with dispatch” and expects a decision on the party list row in the en banc session tomorrow.

In its last en banc session, the SC gave due course to the Solicitor General’s motion for partial reconsideration asking to be given until last Friday to file a consolidated comment on behalf of the Comelec. Meanwhile the Comelec postponed the printing of ballots to February 4 which effectively meant that it will wait for a high court ruling on the party-list row.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The newly formed workers party-list group Partido
ng Mangggawa Coalition (PM Coalition) urged the Supreme Court (SC) to resolve
the party-list disqualification row “with dispatch” as the high court gave due
course to a motion from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to file a
comment.

Last Tuesday, PM Coalition held a rally at SC to
push for its petition asking the high court to overturn the Comelec’s
disqualification. The SC however tabled the OSG’s motion for partial
reconsideration asking to be given until tomorrow to file a consolidated
comment on behalf of the Comelec. In an en banc session last January 8, the SC did
not act on PM Coalition’s petition for a temporary restraining order on the
raffle of party-list names and printing of ballots but asked the Comelec to
comment on a non-extendible deadline of five days.

“It is in the interest of all parties, not
just the party-list groups and the Comelec, but the voters especially that the
dispute over Comelec’s disqualification of party-list groups be settled by the
next SC en banc session on January 29,” asserted Bong Palad, the group’s
president and also secretary of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association
(PALEA).

PM Coalition welcomed the Comelec’s
postponement of the printing of ballots to February 4 which effectively meant
that it will wait for a high court ruling on the party-list issue. Comelec
earlier said that its timetable precluded such a delay.

“We call on the high court to finish the job
of cleansing of the party-list system by affirming the disqualification of
BOPALs or bogus party-lists but also correcting the mistakes of the Comelec
such as not accrediting a legitimate workers group like PM Coalition based on a
technicality. Comelec’s disqualification of PM Coalition is in contrast with
its highly questionable accreditation of some BOPALs that seem to have a much
lobby power,” averred Palad.

The PM Coalition rallyists from affiliates
PALEA, Samahan ng Manggagawa ng Paranaque and Zone One Tondo Organization bannered
the call “Manggagawa Naman!” in its picket to express its advocacy for
representation of workers in Congress and for labor issues to be put in the
forefront of the national agenda.

The Comelec's
Second Division dismissed PM Coalition on the ground that it failed to comply
with the requirements for registration as a “sectoral coalition.” But Palad insisted
that even underComelec
Resolution No. 9366 – Rules on filing of petitions for registration– requirements underSection 6.Petition for Registration, Contentsstates that petitioner is only
required to submit names, addresses, and representatives of sectoral parties
or organizations affiliated with the petitioner, which affiliatesneed not be registeredwith the Commission, but have given
their consent thereto.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The newly formed workers party-list group PM Coalition held
a rally at the Supreme Court today to appeal for a decision on pending party-list
motions for accreditation. In particular PM Coalition is pushing for its
petition asking the high court to overturn the Comelec’s disqualification.

Meanwhile the group welcomed the Comelec’s postponement of
the printing of ballots to February 4 which effectively meant that it will wait
for a high court ruling on the party-list issue. Comelec earlier said that its
timetable precluded such a delay.

“We call on the Supreme Court to finish the job of cleansing
of the party-list system by affirming the disqualification of BOPALs or bogus party-lists
but also correcting the mistakes of the Comelec such as not accrediting a
legitimate workers group like Partido ng Manggagawa Coalition (PM Coalition) based
on a technicality. Comelec’s disqualification of PM Coalition is in contrast
with its highly questionable accreditation of some BOPALs that seem to have a much
lobby power,” averred Bong Palad, the group’s president and also secretary of the
Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA).

In an en banc session last January 8, the Supreme Court
did not act on PM Coalition’s petition for a temporary restraining order on the
raffle of party-list names and printing of ballots but asked the Comelec to
comment on a non-extendible deadline of five days. As per PM Coalition’s
information, the Comelec has not submitted a comment.

The PM Coalition rallyists from affiliates PALEA, Samahan
ng Manggagawa ng Paranaque and Zone One Tondo Organization bannered the call
“Manggagawa Naman!” in the picket today to express its advocacy for representation
of workers in Congress and for labor issues to be put in the forefront of the
national agenda.

The Comelec's Second
Division dismissed PM Coalition on the ground that it failed to comply with the
requirements for registration as a “sectoral coalition.” The decision states: "A
careful perusal of the petition clearly shows that PM Coalition fell short of
the requirement to be accredited as a sectoral coalition. While
petitioner has extensively submitted documentary evidence to support its
petition, it failed to consider a material requisite to seek registration as a coalition,
that is, that its member organizations should be duly registered parties with
this Commission."

Palad said the poll body
took no serious effort in considering the group’s motion for reconsideration
which clarified the matter. He explained that even underComelec Resolution No. 9366 – Rules
on filing of petitions for registration–
requirements underSection 6.Petition for Registration, Contentsstates that petitioner is only
required to submit names, addresses, and representatives of sectoral parties
or organizations affiliated with the petitioner, which affiliatesneed not be registeredwith the Commission, but have given
their consent thereto.

DETAILS: The newly formed workers party-list group PM
COALITION will hold a rally at the Supreme Court to appeal for a decision on
pending party-list motions for accreditation. In particular PM Coalition is
pushing for its petition asking the high court to overturn the Comelec’s disqualification.

In an en banc session last January 8, the Supreme
Court did not act on PM COALITION’s petition for a TRO on the raffle of
party-list names and printing of ballots but asked the Comelec to comment on a
non-extendible deadline of 5 days. As per PM Coaltion’s information, the
Comelec has not submitted a comment.

The PM COALITION rallyists will banner the
call “Manggagawa Naman!” in the picket to express its advocacy for representation
of workers in Congress and for labor issues to be put in the forefront of the
national agenda.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Two bulldozers and two backhoes lie
unused in a disputed lot near the municipal hall of GMA, Cavite as residents have barricaded their
community to stop a mall from being built. For more than a week now some 60
families and vendors in Market Site, a depressed area, have been in
protest at the planned eviction to give way to Lotus Mall.

Construction crew attempted to build a
wall to enclose the development site but was resisted by the residents. In
a confrontation last January 9, community leader Virginia Panahon was
physically threatened using a bolo and also warned with arrest by the barangay
captain. Since then residents and vendors have maintained a vigil to defend
their community and livelihood.

Last December 18, some 100 residents and
vendors marched from the Market Site to the municipal hall to
demand a relocation site. Members of Samahan ng Naninirahan
sa Market Sitewere joined by supporters from the Partido ng Manggagawa
Coalition (PM Coalition) and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino in the protest. The
dialogue with an official of the office of Mayor Leonisa “Ona” Virata yielded
no result.

“The people want social progress with
social justice. We appeal to be treated as human beings not rags that can be
thrown when not needed. If our community is to be demolished then we demand
decent relocation and financial assistance,’ declared Ramil Cangayao of the Cavite chapter of PM
Coalition.

Since July this year, the community
residents have been holding protests and negotiations with the National Housing
Authority, which owns the open space sold to Lotus Mall, and the administration
of Mayor Virata. But residents complain that they are being given the
runaround. On November 19, the Sangguniang Bayan passed Resolution No.
0735-2012 approving the application of Lotus Mall to develop a commercial
building at Market Site.

Cangayao added that “If there is any
shred of good governance in the administration of Mayor Virata, then residents
deserve transparency as to the local government’s plans about relocation. They
keep on promising there is a relocation site but there are no
details. We also want the implementation of the Office of the Court
Administrators Circular No. 72-2003 mandating a financial assistance to
relocatees amounting to 60 days times the minimum wage or a total of P19,628
per family.”

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The partylist group
Partido ng Manggagawa Coalition or PM Coalition is hoping to get the Supreme
Court’s nod as election season officially starts this week. The group has
sought the High Court’s intervention after it was inadvertently disqualified by
the Commission on Elections based on mere technicality.

Acting on the group’s
petition, the Supreme Court last week has ordered the Comelec to submit its
comment within a non-extendable five days.

“Compared with other
groups whose status as ‘marginalized’ are being questioned, our case is simpler
to resolve since it simply involves technicality,” argued PM Coalition Chair
Ambrocio Palad.

The Comelec's Second
Division dismissed PM Coalition’s Petition on the ground that it failed to
comply with the requirements for registration as a “sectoral coalition.” The
decision states:

"A careful perusal
of the petition clearly shows that PM Coalition fell short of the requirement
to be accredited as a sectoral coalition. While petitioner has
extensively submitted documentary evidence to support its petition, it failed
to consider a material requisite to seek registration as a coalition, that is,
that its member organizations should be duly registered parties with this
Commission."

Palad said the poll
body took no serious effort in considering the group’s motion for
reconsideration which clarified the matter.

He explained that even
underComelec Resolution No.
9366 – Rules on filing of petitions for registration– requirements underSection 6.Petition for Registration, Contentsstates that petitioner is only
required to submit names, addresses, and representatives of sectoral parties
or organizations affiliated with the petitioner, which affiliatesneed not be registeredwith the Commission, but have given
their consent thereto.

Palad said his group
has complied with all those requirements for registration and has filed timely
motions to appeal its dismissal by the Comelec’s Second Division.

“Warlords, drug lords
and gambling lords who maintain powerful private armed groups cannot be
neutralized by half-serious periodic campaign. The campaign must be at all-time
bold and thoroughgoing and must also be accompanied by major political reforms
that ensure a leveled battle field between the rich and the poor,” said
Magtubo.

Residents in Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Cavite have barricaded their community and
the protest continue on it fifth day today to stop a real estate development.
Some 60 families plus scores of vendors in Market Site, a depressed area near the
municipal hall, are resisting the planned eviction to give way to Lotus Mall.

The situation has been tense since last Wednesday when construction
crew attempted to build a wall to enclose the development site. In the
confrontation, community leader Virginia Panahon was physically threatened
using a bolo and also warned with arrest by the barangay captain. Since then
residents and vendors have maintained a vigil to defend their community and
livelihood. Last Friday police mobile cars were seen patrolling the community.

Last December 18, some 100 residents and vendors marched
from the Market Site to the municipal hall to demand a relocation site. Members
of Samahan ng Naninirahan sa Market Site were joined by supporters from the Partido
ng Manggagawa Coalition (PM Coalition) and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino in
the protest. The dialogue with an official of the office of Mayor Leonisa “Ona”
Virata yielded no result.

“The people want social progress with social justice. We
appeal to be treated as human beings not rags that can be thrown when not
needed. If our community is to be demolished then we demand decent relocation
and financial assistance,’ declared Ramil Cangayao of the Cavite chapter of PM Coalition.

Since July this year, the community residents have been
holding protests and negotiations with the National Housing Authority, which
owns the open space sold to Lotus Mall, and the administration of Mayor Virata.
But residents complain that they are being given the runaround. On November 19,
the Sangguniang Bayan passed Resolution No. 0735-2012 approving the application
of Lotus Mall to develop a commercial building at Market Site.

Cangayao added that “If there is any shred of good
governance in the administration of Mayor Virata, then residents deserve
transparency as to the local government’s plans about relocation. They keep on
promising there is a relocation site but there are no details. We also want the
implementation of the Office of the Court Administrators Circular No. 72-2003
mandating a financial assistance to relocatees amounting to 60 days times the
minimum wage or a total of P19,628 per family.”

Cangayao challenged the candidates in the coming elections
to stand on the side of the urban poor residents. “Go beyond motherhood
statements. In the real life struggle for a decent life and affordable housing,
are the candidates on the side of the ordinary people or of rich developers?”
he said. ###

Residents in Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Cavite have barricaded their community and the protest continue on it fifth day today to stop a real estate development. Some 60 families plus scores of vendors in Market Site, a depressed area near the municipal hall, are resisting the planned eviction to give way to Lotus Mall.

The situation has been tense since last Wednesday when construction crew attempted to build a wall to enclose the development site. In the confrontation, community leader Virginia Panahon was physically threatened using a bolo and also warned with arrest by the barangay captain. Since then residents and vendors have maintained a vigil to defend their community and livelihood. Last Friday police mobile cars were seen patrolling the community.

Last December 18, some 100 residents and vendors marched from the Market Site to the municipal hall to demand a relocation site. Members of Samahan ng Naninirahan sa Market Site were joined by supporters from the Partido ng Manggagawa Coalition (PM Coalition) and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino in the protest. The dialogue with an official of the office of Mayor Leonisa “Ona” Virata yielded no result.

“The people want social progress with social justice. We appeal to be treated as human beings not rags that can be thrown when not needed. If our community is to be demolished then we demand decent relocation and financial assistance,’ declared Ramil Cangayao of the Cavite chapter of PM Coalition.

Since July this year, the community residents have been holding protests and negotiations with the National Housing Authority, which owns the open space sold to Lotus Mall, and the administration of Mayor Virata. But residents complain that they are being given the runaround. On November 19, the Sangguniang Bayan passed Resolution No. 0735-2012 approving the application of Lotus Mall to develop a commercial building at Market Site.

Cangayao added that “If there is any shred of good governance in the administration of Mayor Virata, then residents deserve transparency as to the local government’s plans about relocation. They keep on promising there is a relocation site but there are no details. We also want the implementation of the Office of the Court Administrators Circular No. 72-2003 mandating a financial assistance to relocatees amounting to 60 days times the minimum wage or a total of P19,628 per family.”

Cangayao challenged the candidates in the coming elections to stand on the side of the urban poor residents. “Go beyond motherhood statements. In the real life struggle for a decent life and affordable housing, are the candidates on the side of the ordinary people or of rich developers?” he said. ###

Saturday, January 12, 2013

WHERE: Market Site (near municipal hall) in Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Cavite
DETAILS: Ongoing barricade and protest by community residents in Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Cavite to stop real estate development. Some 60 families plus scores of vendors in Market Site (near municipal hall) resist planned eviction to give way to Lotus Mall.
The situation has been tense since last Wednesday when construction crew attempted to build a wall to enclose the development site. In the confrontation, community leader Virginia Panahon was physically threatened using a bolo and also warned with arrest by the barangay captain. Since then residents and vendors have maintained a vigil to defend their community and livelihood. Yesterday police mobile cars were seen patrolling the community.
Last December 18, some 100 residents and vendors marched from the Market Site to the municipal hall to demand a relocation site. Members of Samahan ng Naninirahan sa Market Site were joined by the Cavite chapter of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino in the protest. The dialogue with an official of Mayor’s office yielded no result.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Ongoing
barricade and protest by community residents in Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Cavite to
stop real estate development. Some 60 families plus scores of vendors in Market
Site (near municipal hall) resist planned eviction to give way to Lotus Mall.

The
situation has been since last Wednesday when an attempt was made to a build a
wall to enclose the development site. In the confrontation, community leader Virginia
Panahon was physically threatened using a bolo and also warned with arrest by
the barangay captain. Since then residents and vendors have maintained a vigil
to defend their community and livelihood.

Last December 18, some 100 residents and
vendors marched from the Market Site to the municipal hall to demand a
relocation site. Members of Samahan ng Naninirahan sa Market Site were joined
by the Cavite chapter of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) and Alyansa ng Maralitang
Pilipino in the protest. The dialogue with an official of Mayor’s office
yielded no result.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

As
the Supreme Court (SC) holds its first en banc session for the year, the newly
formed workers party-list Partido ng Manggagawa Coalition (PM COALITION)
appealed to the high court to reverse the “erroneous” decision of the Commission
on Elections (Comelec) disqualifying the group.

PM
COALITION has learned that among the agenda of the en banc session is its
petition for certiorari and urgent motion. Unlike some other disqualified
party-list groups, PM COALITION has not yet secured relief from the SC since today’s
session will be the first opportunity for justices to discuss its petition and
motion.

Last
December 21, PM COALITION filed a petition with the SC seeking its accreditation
as a party-list and a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the Comelec’s raffle
of party-list names and the printing of
ballots. A day before the scheduled raffle, PM COALITION also filed last January
3 an omnibus motion asking for a special raffle on its petition and praying for
inclusion in the raffle as an alternative to the TRO it earlier sought.

Yesterday,
some 60 PM COALITION members such as unionists of the Philippine Airlines
Employees’ Association (PALEA), laborers from the Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Paranaque
and informal workers from Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO) picketed the Padre
Faura office of the SC to push for its party-list accreditation. Some of the
rallyists dressed up as mechanics and while others held up toilet plungers to
signify the group’s advocacy of representing the labor sector and cleansing the
party-list system.

Bong
Palad, PM COALITION president and secretary of PALEA, averred that “We ask the
Supreme Court to be the court of last resort and remedy the erroneous decision
of the Comelec on disqualifying a group that is truly representative of the
labor sector. Palpak ang Comelec sapagkat inaccredit pa rin nila ang mga BOPAL
(bogus party-lists) habang dinisqualify naman ang ibang lehitimo gaya ng PM
COALITION.”

PM Coalition cited Rule 64 in its petition which allows review of
decisions of constitutional commission bodies. The group is protesting why a
truly marginalized group and whose nominees possess laudable track
records in serving the working class is denied accreditation by the Comelec
while highly questionable groups got blind approval.

PM Coalition nominees include labor leader Renato Magtubo, PALEA
president Gerry Rivera, Public Services Labor Independent Confederation Annie
Geron, Central Negros Electric Cooperative union president Benjamin Tundag, and
Philadelfa Burdeos, former president of the BPI union in Cagayan De Oro
City. Palad said several unions and labor associations nationwide
coalesced into PM Coalition to boost their chances of winning in the 2013
elections. A party or a coalition of sectoral groups is allowed under the
party-list law.

Monday, January 7, 2013

The
newly formed workers party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa Coalition (PM COALITION)
held a rally this morning at the Supreme Court to push for its petition asking
the high court to overturn the Comelec’s disqualification. The SC is set to
hold its first en banc session for the year tomorrow and may act on the
petition then.

Bong
Palad, PM COALITION president and secretary of the Philippine Airlines
Employees’ Association (PALEA), said that “We appeal to the Supreme Court to be
the court of last resort and remedy the erroneous decision of the Comelec on
disqualifying a group that is truly representative of the labor sector. The
Comelec had made a mess of the so-called cleansing of the party-list system by
still accrediting numerous BOPALS (bogus party-lists).”

Some
60 members of PM COALITION joined the rally with some dressed up as workers
holding brooms to signify the group’s advocacy of representing the labor sector
and cleansing the party-list system.

PM
COALITION also asked in its petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on
the printing of ballots scheduled this January. In an additional motion PM
COALITION sought a mandatory injunction to be included in the Comelec raffle of
party list groups.

In an omnibus
motion filed last January 3, PM Coalition also asked the SC to hold a special
raffle for the petition the group earlier filed seeking to overturn the
Comelec’s disqualification and to facilitate action on the TRO that it sought.

PM COALITION
filed a petition with the SC before the holiday break after it was disqualified
based on mere technicality and the poll body’s misinterpretation of the law. The
group hopes it will get relief from the high tribunal after submitting
substantial evidence supporting its petition for certiorari and eventual qualification
as a legitimate party-list group.

In the
assailed Comelec resolution denying the accreditation of PM Coalition, the poll
body states:

“A careful
perusal of the petition clearly shows that PM Coalition fell short of the
requirement to be accredited as a sectoral coalition. While
petitioner has extensively submitted documentary evidence to support its
petition, it failed to consider a material requisite to seek registration as a
coalition, that is, that its member organizations should be duly registered
parties with this Commission.”

Palad said
this particular Comelec resolution “was highly irregular and questionable” and
therefore the offended party must be given due course before the poll body
conducts the final printing of ballots.

“The Comelec’s
half-serious purging of the partylist system has disqualified many groups but
at the same time allowed many spurious groups and parties with no substantial
qualifications to remain in the race,” he insisted.

DETAILS: The newly formed workers party-list group PM COALITION will hold a
rally at the Supreme Court to push for its petition asking the high court to
overturn the Comelec’s disqualification. The SC is set to hold an en banc
session on Tuesday and may act on the petition then.

PM COALITION also asked in
its petition for a temporary restraining order on the printing of ballots
scheduled this January. In an additional motion PM COALITION sought a mandatory
injunction to be included in the Comelec raffle of party list groups.

The PM COALITION rallyists will banner the
following calls in the picket:

Friday, January 4, 2013

The newly formed workers group Partido ng
Manggagawa Coalition (PM Coalition) filed yesterday afternoon with the Supreme
Court an urgent omnibus motion to seek its inclusion in the scheduled raffle of
party list organizations this afternoon. The Comelec had announced that the
raffle will proceed today despite an earlier call by PM Coalition to defer it
to give way to the SC’s action on petitions by disqualified party-list groups.

In the omnibus motion, PM Coalition also asked the SC
to hold a special raffle for the petition the group earlier filed seeking to
overturn the Comelec’s disqualification and to facilitate action on the
temporary restraining order (TRO) that it sought. In its petition, PM Coalition
requested for a TRO on the party list raffle and printing of ballots. But in the
motion filed yesterday, the group asked for inclusion in the raffle as an
alternative to a TRO.

The PM Coalition went to the SC Court before the
holiday break to seek remedy after it was disqualified based on mere
technicality and the poll body’s misinterpretation of the law.

The SC justices,
however, are set to resume their session on January 8, their first session of
the year. But before it went into break on December 11, the En Banc
issued status quo ante orders (SQAO) for another batch of 19 partylist groups
that were previously disqualified by the Comelec.

The group hopes that it will get the same reprieve
from the high tribunal after submitting substantial evidence supporting its
petition for certiorari and eventual qualification as a legitimate partylist
group.

In the assailed Comelec resolution denying the
accreditation of PM Coalition, the poll body states:

“A careful perusal of the petition clearly shows
that PM Coalition fell short of the requirement to be accredited as a sectoral
coalition. While petitioner has extensively submitted documentary evidence
to support its petition, it failed to consider a material requisite to seek
registration as a coalition, that is, that its member organizations should be
duly registered parties with this Commission.”

PM Coalition president and PALEA secretary Bong
Palad said this particular Comelec resolution “was highly irregular and
questionable” and therefore the offended party must be given due course before
the poll body conducts the raffle and the final printing of ballots.

“Many were aware of the fact that the Comelec’s
half-serious purging of the partylist system has disqualified many groups but
at the same time allowed many spurious groups and parties with no substantial
qualifications to remain in the race. This is truly unjust and unfair for
a legitimate sectoral group such as the PM Coalition,” argued Palad.

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Our Vision

Our dream is a world that gives due importance to the role of the working class and respects the dignity of labor. A social order where the working men and women of the world live together in peace, harmony and progress.Our aspirations lie in the emancipation of labor. A government that is truly of the workers, by the workers and for the workers.

Our hopes rest in a future where social progress thrives not for the benefit of a few people but for the development and richness of the entire humankind. A society that is free from the chains of wage slavery and where oppression does not exist.

Our Mission

Forge the unity of the workers into an independent working class party to organize them as a potent political force in social transformation towards the advancement and protection of labor from the scourge of globalization, establishment of a genuine workers’ government and the emancipation of the working class from capitalist exploitation and wage slavery.

Workers Unite!

The working class is the most important class in society. But, labor will only be a force to reckon with at a time when labor assumes the responsibility of leading the struggle to a decent living - free from exploitation of the propertied elite.

The time has come to rally every underprivileged sector of the society, to take the bull by the head and confront the issues of today. The working class must take an active role in every political exercise presented. The backbone of the independent party must be comprised of the working class with the other marginalized sectors in solidarity.

We must organize politically.

This is our own challenge and we must vow not to shirk from it.

Our future is in our hands, in our unity, in our struggle, in our party.